The difference in disposition between the doctor and Gromov presents a somewhat ironic foil-ish relationship. The doctor is a high-minded theoretician with a depth of philosophical understanding, a man of learning, nearly a man of God, etc. Gromov, on the other hand is more interested in "living life", making him the ostensible "man of action" in this relationship. Ironically, our man of action is also confined to a mental asylum. This paradoxical situation presents an interesting subversion of what would otherwise be a somewhat stale instance of opposed characters.